Transformation and power: the Croatian case

In a transitional country, transformation processes are difficult and complicated, especially in the hotel industry, which involves entire local communities. This paper analyses a sustained eight‐year dispute of ownership to hotel properties in the town of Opatija, one of Croatia’s leading seaside resorts. The case‐study builds insight into the importance of a local community power struggle on which, inevitably, privatisation will come to rest. Learning how to manage the “local scene”, rather than just offering top‐down policies is critical to transformation processes in all transitional countries.